Now for the social press release

I'm delighted that Beth Kanter has picked up my earlier musings with her own piece Is it time for a Social Reporter? She has some expertise in job labels, as well as the skills that go with them:

I used to think a lot of what my role and use different labels. Here's a few I played with from 1992-2002 during my time working with NYFA/Arts Wire.

• Electronic Bulletin Board Sysop
• Onlne Facilitator
• Online Community Builder
• Telecommuter
• Gophermaster
• Webmaster
• Webmistress
• Webster
• Web Manager
• Web Goddess
• Digital Creative Thinker
• Information designer
• Cybrarian
• Electronic Preservationist
• Telecollaborator
• Situated Trainer & Learner
• Nonprofit Technologist

As I found this list, I realized I'm adding something to the label Nonprofit Technologist. I'm not sure quite what. It goes beyond blogger and tagger. Citizen instructional mediamaker? Social media coach? Who knows ...

Anyone else got some terms to add?

Beth was a little uncertain about the "reporter" tag ... but there's certainly something happening around the PR/journalism toolset. Scanning down my blog feeds I found Nancy E. Schwartz highlighting a new press release format. Nancy writes:

Take a look at the announcement press release from Shift, which follows the new format. Put that and the format template in front of you, and you'll see the following elements that enable online release readers (who include many traditional journalists, as well as bloggers and your audiences) to easily take action:

• Full contact information with email, blog and instant messenger addresses.
• Succinct, news facts bullet points -- easier to digest than traditional narrative.
• Delicious page with links to related sources, updated regularly and available as a feed to your RSS reader, so updates come to you. In this case, SHIFT uses this page to link readers to coverage of their template release, and the agency itself.
• Downloads -- in the sample a photo, logo and the press release template.
• Links to spokesperson's LinkedIn profile.
• One-click buttons to add the press release to the readers Delicious bookmarks or to rate it via Digg.
• Technorati tags to improve search access via Technorati (mostly a blog-focused search engine).

Variations on this format are beginning to pop up but all share the common denominator of easy interactivity. Let's say it together one more time. Make it easy for your audiences.

I think it is great, and Nancy believes journalists are ready for these innovations, at least in the US. Over here Lunchtime O'Booze will be rolling in his grave.

Comments

[Beth Kanter]

And here's an example of a new press event!
http://text100.typepad.com/hypertext/2006/10/an_example_of_p.html

[Candace]

here via Beth's Blog - I like the sound and feel of 'cybrarian', whatever one is. It combines my love of books, learning, knowledge and the web.

I've added your feed and will be coming back to learn more.